Providencia stuartii

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Classification

Domain: Bacteria

Phylum: Proteobacteria

Class: Gammaproteobacteria

Order: Enterobacteriales

Family: Enterobacteriaceae

Genus: Providencia

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Providencia stuartii

Description and Significance

Providencia stuartii is a gram-negative bacteria.

Figure 2: Visual comparison of gram-negative bacteria and gram-positive bacteria using the gram-staining technique NIAID

In laboratory settings, ,it is best cultured in Nutrient Agar or Columbia agar, with growth best at 37C and a mesophilic temperature range. It is of risk group 2 on the biosafety level[5].

P. stuartii has a straight rod morphology and is typically 0.6-0.8 micrometers by 1.5-2.5 micrometers in size [6].

P. stuartii is ubiquitous, being commonly found in water, soil, and animal reservoirs [2].

It is responsible for many UTIs in patients under long term catheterization and has a high degree of antibiotic resistance, a major concern for hospitals and nursing homes where many patients are vulnerable to infection from this microbe. Treatment, once infected, is difficult.

Genome Structure

In 2011 P. stuartii MRSN 2154 was sequenced using the Roche GS FLX Titanium system with a shotgun rapid ligation library. The sequencing found that P. stuartii MRSN 2154 has a “circular genome of 4,402,109 nucleotides and a G/C (guanine-cytosine) content of 41.27%" (NCBI).

The P. stuarttii MRSN 2154 genome has 4,194 predicted genes, 75 tRNA genes, and seven rrnoperons (NBCI)

It has two porins, Omp-Pst1 and Omp-Pst2. It primary expressed Omp-pst1 in a rich medium, which is mildly anion selective and more permissive of beta lactam antibiotics. In comparison, Omp-Pst2 has atypical voltage gating behavior and could play a role is charge distribution across the OM (what the heck, look up). When Omp-Pst2 was knocked down, P. stuartii growth was retarded, indicating that this porin plays an important role in development[1].

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

METABOLISM & KEY PRODUCTS

P. stuartii is facultatively anaerobic and is a chemoorganotrophic. P. stuartii has both a fermentative and respiratory metabolism [6].

Figure 2: Urease acts as a catalyst for the transformation of urea into ammonia. From: European publication server

P. stuartii is a urease-positive species] [1]. This is significant because ureases are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. This can have health implications for humans and animals, when P. stuartii live in the urinary tract. Urease activity is a known contributing factor to the development of urolithiasis, also known as kidney stones.

LIFE CYCLE

Figure 4: Example of leftover floating communities once planktonic cells had been washed away, giving evidence to the bacteria's highly social cell-to-cell interaction prior to biofilm formation [1

]

P. stuartii’s resistance to antibiotics also stems from its biofilm formation. It has a ‘highly social behaviour’, where cell to cell contact occurs prior to attachment of cells onto the surface. These floating communities precede biofilm formation and then coexist with it once a biofilm is created. These biofilms are majority living cells. It can form this biofilm over a large range of pH, from 6-9 and can consolidate at pH 5, showing great resistance to extreme environmental conditions. Biofilm genesis and attachment is favored at pH >8 and can attach directly to a urinary catheter. Biofilms can also resist high concentration of urea (500mM), calcium and magnesium (up to 50mM) and when presented with these stressors will consolidate. P. stuartii biofilm dispersion is also high and infections that were originally in the urinary tract can migrate to other organs and cause a variety of issues including meningitis and endocarditis [1].


Ecology and Pathogenesis

Habitat; symbiosis; biogeochemical significance; contributions to environment.
If relevant, how does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

References

[1] El Khatib M, Tran Q-T, Nasrallah C, Lopes J, Bolla J-M, Vivaudou M, et al. (2017) Providencia stuartii form biofilms and floating communities of cells that display high resistance to environmental insults. PLoS ONE 12(3): e0174213.

[2] Wie, Seong-Heon. (2015) Clinical significance of Providencia bacteria or bacteriuria. Korean J Intern Med. 20(3): 167-169.

[3] Cunningham, Lennox, and Ross (2010). A brief introduction to Biofilms. Website.

[4] Jacoby, G. A. (2009). AmpC β-Lactamases. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 22(1), 161–182

[5] Carola Söhngen, Adam Podstawka, Boyke Bunk, Dorothea Gleim, Anna Vetcininova, Lorenz Christian Reimer, Christian Ebeling, Cezar Pendarovski, Jörg Overmann; BacDive – The Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase in 2016, Nucleic Acids Research, Volume 44, Issue D1, 4 January 2016, Pages D581–D585.

[6] Providencia. Hardy Diagnostics.


Author

Page authored by Bry Caswell and Lily Bunis, students of Prof. Jay Lennon at IndianaUniversity.